Today is the last day of our Spring Fund Drive and we will draw winners for the following:
- At 11 am — Duke Ellington: The Centennial Edition Box Set
- At 3 pm — A pair of passes with covered seating to the Doc & Rosa Lee Watson Musicfest
- At 9 pm — a pair of Blue Ridge VIP passes to the Earl Scruggs Music Festival
Donate online here, or call us until 9 pm at 1-800-245-8870.
Duke Ellington: The Centennial Edition
This box set from 1999 is quite a comprehensive collection! 24 discs comprising 27 hours and 31 minutes that span 1927-1973. The first seven CDs chronicle the maestro's Cotton Club days and his theatrical, visceral "jungle music," which was created as part of the club's African-themed stage shows and "tribal" dances. Even at this early stage, Ellington showed a tremendous ability to create expressive moods and keen imagery through his compositions as well as an uncanny understanding of his players' strengths. Six discs are dedicated to the early 1940s, when tenor sax player Ben Webster and bassist Jimmy Blanton elevated the band to new heights. The next three CDs cover the mid-1940s, when the Duke began experimenting with longer pieces. Another combines mid-1940s all-star jams with a full 1952 Seattle concert. All three of Ellington's Sacred Concerts follow, a bold, pioneering fusion of jazz and church, complete with choir and dance, that used the language of music to eloquently sermonize on the subjects of personal freedom, spirituality, and communication with God. The collection wraps up with four discs' worth of late-period magic, including the exotic and dramatic Far East Suite and an homage to recently departed Billy Strayhorn. Accompanying it is a 128-page full-color book of photos and essays. Gently used, and donated to WNCW by a dear listener and member of ours, Philip Chamburs. (value $300)
Doc & Rosa Lee Musicfest — July 15, 2023
Sugar Grove, NC
Lineup includes Dan Tyminski Band, Scythian, The Kruger Brothers, The Grascals, Bill and The Belles, Wayne Henderson, Charles Welch, Jack Lawrence, Liam Purcell & Cane Mill Road, The Burnett Sisters Band, Brooks Forsyth, Shay Martin Lovette Trioa and Swingbillies of Boonetown.
Plus, food, crafts and the Doc & Merle Watson Folk Art Museum.
Full information here.
Earl Scruggs Music Festival — September 1-3, 2023 Mill Spring, NC
Blue Ridge VIP Package for Two
- Access to festival grounds, workshops, onsite activities, and secondary stage
- Access to the designated VIP area on the International Arena floor and the designated VIP section of the Grand Strand
- Two meals per day (deli sandwiches, chips, cookies, snacks) Two free drinks per day with access to a private bar, and bathrooms on the second floor of the International Arena
- Artist meet and greet opportunities
- Exclusive ESMF merchandise item
- VIP benefits apply only to the Flint Hill Stage (main)
$1200 value
Donate online here, or call us until 9 pm at 1-800-245-8870.
If you have already donated, or are a monthly sustainer, you have been automatically entered.
No contribution is required to enter the drawing (but it will give you good Karma). To enter the contest without making a pledge, please e-mail pledge@wncw.org with the following information:
Subject: "Enter Me In The Contest Only"
1- Name
2- Telephone Number